Mattress.



Patented Jan. 23, I900. T. S. GILL.

MATTRESS.

(Application filed May (No Model.)

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UNITED STATES PATENT QFFICE,

THOMAS S. GILL, OF RICHLAND, FLORIDA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO JESSE I. CROSS, OF SAME PLACE.

MATTRESS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 641,854, dated January 23, 1900.

' Application filed May 19, 1899. Serial No. 717,497. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, THOMAS S. GILL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Richland, in the county of Pasco and State of Florida, have invented a new and useful Mattress, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to the construction of mattresses and similar articles, such as pads, mats, &c.; and the object in view is to provide simple, inexpensive, and efficient means whereby various fibrous materials.such as horsehair, corn-husks, wool, moss, and palmetto fiber-may be held in place without the aid of an inclosing sheath or casing, such as the ticking ordinarily employed for mattresses, and to adapt the device for the removal of the casing or sheath, which is usually of textile'fabric, whereby said casing or sheath may be cleansed without disturbing the arrangement of the fibrous filling.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will appear in the following description, and the novel features thereof will be particularly pointed out in the appended claims, it being understood that various changes in the form, proportion, size, and the minor details of construction within the scope of the appended claims may be resorted to without departing from the spirit orsacrificing any of the advantages of the present invention.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a portion of a mattress partly broken away to disclose the fibrous filling and means which I employ for maintaining such filling against disarrangement when the casing or sheath is removed. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section of a portion of the same. Fig. 3 is a View of a scrubbing or cleaning brush also constructed in accordance with the essential features of my invention, the filling material which is employed in connection therewith being corn-husks or the equivalent thereof.

Similar reference characters denote like and corresponding parts in all the figures of the drawings.

The fibrous elastic filling 1, which maybe of any of the materials'above mentioned, is threaded through or interwoven with a reticulated diaphragm or mesh-frame 2, of wire or equivalent material, the filling material being arranged to project sufficiently upon opposite sides of the plane of the diaphragm to produce the required softness and yielding quality in a mattress, mat, or pad and to avoid contact with an adjacent object in connection with a scrubbing-brush or similar device. Preferably this diaphragm is arranged horizontally in a plane midway between the side or upper and lower surfaces of the object in connection with which. it is used, and the elasticity of the filling material is such as to cause it to overhang the side and end edges of the diaphragm, so that when the article is completed the diaphragm, which forms the means for holding the filling in its proper shape, is entirely concealed.

In connection with the mattress the object, as above described, should be arranged in an inclosing casing or sheath 3, preferably constructed for removal, as by having one end closed by a flap at, having buttons or other fastening devices 5.

A mattress constructed in accordance with my invention, therefore, is adapted to have its covering or sheath removed for the purpose of washing or cleansing without disturbing the filling or in any way altering the shape thereof, and that such removal can be accom plished without altering the arrangement of the filling material is shown by the fact that with a holding frame or diaphragm such as that described filling material, such as cornhusks, can be held in place to form a scrubbing or other cleaning brush, thus providing a simple, inexpensive, and efficient article which may be repaired or in connection with which the filling material may be replaced at small cost and without the aid of skilled labor. The diaphragm is preferably constructed of crossing wires 6, having their terminals formed into eyes 7, through which the frame or binding-wire 8 passes to secure the wires in proper position. The wires can be interlaced, as shown in Fig. 2, thereby further assisting in holding them in place. By constructing the diaphram in this manner the fill ing material can be set up in a former and the wires can be thrust therethrough, or the filling can be placed in position in courses between a set or" parallel wires and the crossing wires can be placed in position after each course of filling material and forced home. The completed article is exceedingly flexible, as the wires are capable of permitting the device to yield in all directions.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is- 1. In combination with fibrous filling, a diaphragm located between opposite sides of the filling and consisting of crossing wires, the filling being secured between the meshes formed by the crossing wires, substantially as described.

2. In combination with fibrous filling, a diaphragm located between opposite sides of the filling and consisting of crossing wires having terminal eyes and confining the filling between the meshes formed by the crossing of said wires, and a binder passed through the terminal eyes of the wires and securing them together and encircling the filling, substantially as described.

3. A mattress orsimilar article having a reticulated wire diaphragm or mesh-frame, and fibrous filling material secured in the meshes of said diaphragm or frame and held in its operative position by the diaphragm and projecting from the opposite sides of the latter,

and a removable inclosing sheath or casing, substantially as specified.

4:. A mattress or similar article comprising a fibrous filling, a reticulated wire diaphragm or mesh-frame embedded in the same between the planes of the opposite side surfaces thereof and having the fibrous material threaded through the meshes thereof, and an inclosing sheath or casing, substantially as specified.

5. A mattress consisting of fibrous filling, a diaphragm located between opposite sides of the filling and consisting of crossing wires having terminal eyes and confining the filling between the meshes formed by the crossing of said wires, a binder passed through the terminal eyes of the wires and securing them together and encircling the filling, and a textile casin g removably inclosin g the bound filling and having an end closed by a flap provided with detachable fastenings, substantially as set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto aflixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

THOMAS S. GILL.

Witnesses:.

THOS. J. ONEILL, R. '1. ONEILL. 

